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The differences between merchandise coordinators and department supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a merchandise coordinator and a department supervisor. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $36,658 average annual salary of a merchandise coordinator.
The top three skills for a merchandise coordinator include cleanliness, sales floor and merchandise presentation. The most important skills for a department supervisor are store management, product knowledge, and plumbing.
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,658 | $47,300 |
| Hourly rate | $17.62 | $22.74 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 23,637 | 216,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A merchandise coordinator is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of supply inventory, creating purchase requests, and confirming the proper labeling of products. Merchandise coordinators assist with the creative arrangement of product displays, moving merchandise to the appropriate store section, informing the customers of the promotional products and discount offers, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, evaluating feature products' sales reports, and resolving customer complaints. A merchandise coordinator must have excellent communication and organizational skills, following store procedures and safety regulations at all times during the operational shift.
A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Merchandise coordinators and department supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $36,658 | $47,300 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $33,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | North Kingstown, RI | Lakewood, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | New Era Cap | Club |
| Best paying industry | Media | Finance |
There are a few differences between a merchandise coordinator and a department supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between merchandise coordinators' and department supervisors' demographics:
| Merchandise Coordinator | Department Supervisor | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.6% Female, 72.4% | Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |